Bradwell

12 August 2015

Bradwell, Outlands Head, Green Dale, Dirtlow Rake, Cave Dale, Cow Low, Castleton, Pin Dale, Mich Low, Bradwell.

Distance: 8 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Sunshine

Walkers: Steve Courtney, Tom Cunliffe, Colin Davison, Laurie Fairman, Peter Glover, Alan Hart, John Jones, Jock Rooney, Tips and George Whaites.

B walkers: none

Apology: Mickey Barrett (W**king)

Leader: Davison

Diarist: Davison

Start point: Roadside near Shoulder of Mutton Inn, Bradwell

Starting time: 9.50am.

Finishing time: 2.20pm.

We welcomed a new Wanderer today. Steve Courtney introduced us to his friend and now ours, Peter Glover. Peter reduces the average age of the Wednesday Wanderers substantially.

Despite Mr Cunliffe's usual disorientation, our party assembled roughly on time. We set off uphill and immediately turned sharply right for fifty yards to find a footpath on our left up steps. This leads steeply between gardens. At the fork we bore left between houses. We crossed a road. The path continued with gardens giving way to woods.

At the next road a dogleg right and left was necessary to continue along the path which brought us to the quarry at Outland's Head. Crossing the next road, the path then skirts the South side of the quarry. The gradient lessens and the view opens broadly to display the White Peak at it's best. Unfortunately, the fine August weather had also induced luxuriant growths of nettles and brambles. The leader's popularity fell.

Eventually a stile gave access to a field. We followed the Southern edge to a further stile onto the track to Hartlemoor farm. Right and then left at the road brought us to the T- junction opposite the gated entrance to Moss Rake. We turned right and followed the road for 300 yards to a crossroads on the far side of which is a walk through stile into the field on the left.

We crossed this field diagonally and in doing so passed over the course of the old Roman road (Batham Gate). Passing through a gate in the wall we followed a well defined path across Bradwell Moor and three stiles to Dirtlow Rake. Here we met the track that runs to Eldon Hill quarry at Hollandtwine Mine.

This latter is now capped and sadly impenetrable. But in your diarists youth the 400ft shaft was accessible to amateur cavers who descended it by hand winch. Those were the days before single rope technique or the compensation culture.

We turned right along Dirtlow Rake for a quarter of a mile to a point just before the track meets a tarmac road. Here a permissive path on the left took us over the ridge where pietime was called a little belatedly at 11.10am.

We descended to Cave Dale which we crossed and climbed the far bank to a track with a gate on our right into the field between Cow Low and Castleton. A well walked path follows the ridge Eastwards towards Peveral Castle. At the wall we turned left and descended steeply to the track into Castleton. We turned right and followed this to the stream. Turning left on the far side, we eventually reached the main road and our first goal of the Bull's Head Inn.

Yet again the bitter, at £3.80 per pint, was still more expensive than that at the Lantern Pike Inn. This we enjoyed in the Beer Garden (back yard).

Refreshed we crossed the road in front of the pub and followed the road opposite to the square and turned left towards Pindale. At the Y-junction we stayed left for a quarter of a mile to reach our second goal, a  concrete block which is the capping of a ginged mine shaft near Pindale farm. Whilst the rest of our band ate lunch, John Jones, ever ready with his boy scout torch, pronounced the shaft deeper than 80ft which was the extent of his beam.

Setting off again, the road turned sharply left but we continued straight ahead along the bridle path. We followed this for perhaps half a mile with the huge expanse of the cement works to our left surprisingly clean of dust or debris but this time accompanied with the sound of huge electric motors.

Eventually we rose up to Mich Low where the bridle path met a metalled track. Here we turned left and the track brought us to our original rendezvous, the Bowling Green Inn which was closed.

We followed Market Street down to the main street through Bradwell and so to our cars. Consolation pints were quaffed in the Wanted Inn at Sparrowpit where next week’s walk will start at 9.35am. We shall visit The Quarryman in Doveholes around 12.15pm and return to the Wanted Inn at approximately 2.30pm

Pictures by Tom Cunliffe

Happy wandering !